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Steam Steam Link

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by Kronos, 2 Mar 2017.

  1. Kronos

    Kronos Multimodder

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    Just received the Steam link bought when it was reduced to 16 quid at game with free shipping unlike the £7.40 the Valve wanted.
    Ease of set up 10/10
    Very impressed with the graphics on my Samsung UE55KU6000K now I have no excuses not to enjoy a bit of gaming when I am confined to my bed and ever increasing event.

    Just put Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 up as it was the first game I came to.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Hamfunk

    Hamfunk I AM KROGAN!

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    Couple of questions Kronos since you have it up and running - what controller do you use?

    I currently have a 5m HDMI cable running from my PC to my TV but i need to change my primary display and sound output whenever I want to play ton the TV. It works fine for now but if I saw the steam link for £16 i'd probably jump on it!

    Does it effectively launch big picture mode when you turn it on?
     
  3. Darkwisdom

    Darkwisdom Level 99 Retro Nerd

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    I have one myself and i've had it for about a year.

    The best Controllers are either the Steam Controller or a Ps4 controller. Both connect natively. If you have the new Xbox One controller that has bluetooth, you can use that too. I got the Steam controller, which is what I use and when you get used to it, it's a fantastic controller to use.

    You basically sign into your Steam account on the Link and it'll connect to your computer on the network and it'll launch Big Picture mode.

    It's pretty fast if you've got a good connection. The Link has wireless but you absolutely need a wired connection for the best experience.

    I use it for Emulators myself. I make a steam entry for each game, using custom commands, you can even find banners for them, like so: [​IMG]

    Doing it this way allows you to make custom mappings for your controller per game.
     
  4. Kronos

    Kronos Multimodder

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    I only used an Xbox controller to set it up as it is my intention to use KB/mouse.
    And yes it open in big picture mode.

    This is what you get on start up.
    [​IMG]

    I have not had a proper play around with it but I have just discovered that you can turn it off and other things by right clicking the power icon on screen. You get this.

    [​IMG]

    I bought mine from Game and saved the £7.40 that Steam want but I see thers are back up to £40 now.
     
  5. divitorobert

    divitorobert What's a Dremel?

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    It's a good thing the price is lower and there's free shipping, getting items to my country sometimes charge more than the price of the item. I couldn't play it before because of the shipping costs and I didn't know any other sites to purchase from but now I can sit back and relax because everything is covered.
     
  6. Xir

    Xir Modder

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    I seem to be a bit daft, but why would I prefer this over a HDMI-cable?

    Does it run extra stuff without the PC beeing turned on? KODI, Netflix, Amazon...like that?
     
  7. Hamfunk

    Hamfunk I AM KROGAN!

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    I suppose it depends where your PC is located and the ease/convenience by which you can run everything through your TV.

    I'm currently using an HDMI cable but if I saw a steam box for £12 i'd be tempted. Do I need one? Probably not but still....!
     
  8. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    I'd like to see you connect my PC to my TV with an HDMI cable....
     
  9. GeorgeStorm

    GeorgeStorm Aggressive PC Builder

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    It's designed for people who have a PC in one room (possibly an office) and then the TV they want to use in another (living room), and so they can use their nice big powerful PC, on their big TV whilst on their comfy sofa without having a large PC in the living room (as far as I'm aware at least!)

    Quite like the idea and I probably would have grabbed one for that price if I'd seen it!
     
  10. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    I've had a Steam Link for about 6 months and I love it, such a handy piece of kit and it works really well. I haven't seen any noticeable lag at all, even running something like Rocket League.

    One really big frustration I have with it though: if you have multiple Steam accounts registered on the same PC, you cannot change users when using the Steam Link. Both the other half and I have our own Steam accounts and we both have them set up on my gaming PC. But if I leave Steam logged in and the other half wants to use the Steam Link, I have to go upstairs and manually switch accounts; and I learned the hard way that unless you switch accounts using Big Picture you have to re-enter the username and password each time you switch. It's really minor thing but it's a really irritating limitation in an otherwise flawless experience.
     
  11. Edwards

    Edwards Minimodder

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    What's the benefit of switching accounts? Just set up family sharing and use both libraries under one account.
     
  12. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    Primarily so she can use the gaming PC and I can use the gaming laptop (or vice-versa) at the same time.

    But it also helps with recommendations and stuff in the store: I don't want to be shown games similar to Finn & Jake's Epic Quest, and she doesn't want games similar to Doom shoved in her face. Separate friends lists for chat, she's able to buy stuff using her card that I'm never going to play, separate save files (when the save files are in the same location as the game and it doesn't just use MyDocs), etc.
     
  13. Edwards

    Edwards Minimodder

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    :thumb: Fair enough!

    I picked up a steam link a couple of weeks ago and haven't tried messing with multiple accounts yet. Other half only has Tomb raider on her account and doesn't really use any steam features.
     
  14. Xir

    Xir Modder

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    Ah okay....I've got the PC and TV in the same room and laid a HDMI cable through the wall exactly for this cause.


    If I can't install anything on it, it's a bit dear for a network KVM-switch, isn't it?
     
  15. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    I feel like your being deliberately obtuse at this point....
     
  16. Xir

    Xir Modder

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    Ehmmm, well, I really couldn't find a lot about them. The thing costs 60€ over here, and there is little description.
    Look at the amazon comments to see I'm not the only daft one out there.
    Amazon link of steam link

    Appearently, Valve is busy porting Kodi to the Steam Link....for me that sounds like you can install something on the thing, hence the question.
     
  17. GeorgeStorm

    GeorgeStorm Aggressive PC Builder

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    If you've got the PC and TV in the same room I'm not sure why you need to put a HDMI cable through a wall, but yeah then this doesn't sound like a Link is for you, it's for people who don't want a powerful PC in their living room with their TV :)
     
  18. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    No cables trailing from one side of the room to the other, there's one reason :).
     
  19. Dopeyman

    Dopeyman Minimodder

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    I don't suppose the link can be used so that a Vive can be in a separate room to the pc?

    Edit: don't worry I've just answered that with a quick google and it's a big no
     
    Last edited: 21 Mar 2017
  20. Xir

    Xir Modder

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    Correct :D

    I also put a lot of network cabling into the walls...my electrician asked me "you know everything is wireless these days, don't you?" :rolleyes: Heretic :D
     

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